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Thinking about a tailgate type setup using this idea, I might try to make a pipe adapter for the top of a pro style tripod. The type that has a bubble level and ball mount for the tripod head so you can level it out easily. I bet I could fit an inexpensive compass to it as well.

The tripod I have supports 30 pounds. So I could set that up and put some video production style sandbags on the tripod legs to hold it firm.

-I use a cheap signal finder at the dish and sometimes lock in on something other than 101 - then the guide won't load. Took me a while to figure this one out. Since we park in the same spot every time we've now marked the pavement & plywood w a sharpie.

-The Winegard tripod head gets torked pretty good with the heavier arm and SL3. But so far so good.

Key is to first get the mast plumb. I use a small (8" long) level with a magnet that attaches to the mast. Get plumb on 2 legs and I'm good to go.

Using an H21 rec. and getting all HD locals, ESPNs, & sports pack with signals in 60s & 70s. Haven't set up with heavy clouds though.

Thanks to Matt & others.

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I finally managed to snag an old phase 3 off of craigslist for $20 and mounted my SL3 to it. Got 101 in the low 90's, and 103 and 99 in the low 70's simultaneously. This should be good enough for camping.

I used the existing mounting holes on the arm to connect the SL3, so it isn't fully seated (around 1/4 inch out still). I read mixed results on whether fully seating it with two new mounting holes is worth it or not.

The one thing that I found interesting was that the tilt adjustment was very non-critical. My location specifies 115 and I found that anywhere from 100 to 125 made almost no difference in strength for 103 or 99.

I also noticed that the 99/103 alignment was very touchy! Without an appropriate portable meter to use it was only possible to receive anything that the receiver built in meter could pickup by having a video screen right next to the dish and adjusting a fraction of a degree, waiting a few seconds, repeat for a few minutes. I can see this will be a challenge when camping with the dish outside and the tv inside the RV...

What is the least expensive option for a portable meter to align the dish without needing the receiver in view?

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I'm happy to say that I got my tailgating rig put together today thanks to all the info in this thread!

Picked up a Phase III dish, and I had a WNC brand SL5 SWM LNB a buddy gave me for free.

I took the head off an older tripod I had and made a mounting plate for the arm out of a piece of 1x6 oak. Nice hard wood that won't warp or split mounted to the top of the tripod with some screws.

I picked up a cross-level at Lowes for $4 to get the tripod roughly level. The dish mounting arm came with a bubble level at the end of it, so I can use that for final adjustments.

I used the existing lnb mounting holes in the lnb arm and just bent out the metal a bit so the key would fit.

This was my first time aligning a dish of any kind so i used the info from www.dishpointer.com as a baseline.

I got my 101 locked in with mid 80's or better (some transponders were as good as 95) then worked on the 99 and 103 sats. Used my trusty compass from Walmart for the general direction.

Dishpointer said 65.1 tilt, 41.8 elevation. I wound up with 68 tilt, and 40 elevation. Once I locked in the 101, I got the 99 and 103 even in terms of signal by adjusting the tilt, then adjusted the elevation. Now I get mid 70's or better on 99 and 103.

Took me about 20 minutes to get it aligned. Should be a lot easier next time now that I know what I'm doing.

Everything works great! I get all the HD channels on the H21 box I used to test it. Can't wait to take this out for the next Virginia Tech home game.

Just installed a second Modded Triple Sat at my house (1st was at my sisters) and got even better results this time. I do have access to an Accutrac III now, but after reading this thread I don't think I can get much better readings.

Here are the signal readings and a picture of the dish mounted on my house. So far we have had several hard rains and I have not signal once. Happy HD for me!

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Nice job,great signal numbers,If more people understood how easy this is that they could easily upgrade their old 3 LNB dish to HD without the hassle of the installation of the larger slimline dish I'm sure many more would.

Nice job,great signal numbers,If more people understood how easy this is that they could easily upgrade their old 3 LNB dish to HD without the hassle of the installation of the larger slimline dish I'm sure many more would.

I wouldn't call 75-85 on 99/103c great signal levels. Especially for a permanent setup. For a tailgate or weekend rig, sure, but not for full time use. Rain fade will be a considerably more frequent and longer.

Have an Error or Diagnostic code? Find out what it means and how to fix it here: Click MeHaving issues with your HD locals? Report them here: Click MeIs your receiver compatible with MRV? Check Here

Being a Newbie, have stuck to reading and not much posting, but I have something to share on this topic.

Being an RV user and currently hauling a Slimline 5 around I have a keen interest in the topic.

I talked to a DTV tech (one of the real ones) and asked if there was a smaller 99/101/103 dish in our future. He said that there was a team working on the project and the project name was "Main BanK". He also said that they planned to have the smaller version out in November and to call back and ask for someone on the project, by name. Not sure what part of November but I plan to follow up.

Had to halt reading this thread to reply to this.

Main Bank is NOT any special team working on anything.Main Bank is front line CSRs. Its the line the 'Main Bank' of customers are dropped into. AKA Billing AKA Customer Service...

I wouldn't call 75-85 on 99/103c great signal levels. Especially for a permanent setup. For a tailgate or weekend rig, sure, but not for full time use. Rain fade will be a considerably more frequent and longer.

Well they are great enough for me here in Northern Illinois. I have had 2 of these setup since the summer and the only time I had rain fade my Dad with a full size slimline lost signal at the same time so I can't complain. I am sure I probably lost it for a few minutes more than he did, but the dish seems very stable to me.

I live in an inner city apartment -- no dishes possible outdoors. For 13 years I've been shooting through a double-glazed, double-hung window, first with a round dish, then with a Phase 3 + triple LNB. If I open the window, the receiver meters jump about 2 points -- not much, in short. So I've been happy. But an AU9 + 5-LNB is too big for the window (I tried). Would anyone venture a guess whether this fantastic Phase 3 + SL3 solution is likely to work?

Also: does the HR20-700 even have a setup option for an SL3? I don't remember ever seeing that... TIA

I've been experimenting with a Phase III with an SL3 on it; my prime use will be for portable use with an RV. As others have noted, the hardest thing is getting the signals for 99 and 103 balanced. I found that I could best do this when my tilt was set to 90 degrees (as opposed to the setting of 80 degrees given for my location - 75605 - and a slimline dish with a SL3 LNB). Has anyone else noted this tilt difference? By the way, my dish mount is plumb.

Here are my readings at a tilt of 90 degrees. The elevation is about as given for the slimline (51 degrees).

The real problem here (with this as a permanent setup) is going to be if you ever modify your IDU setup. If you ever have to swap a receiver, or activate a new one, you'll never pass Installation Verification with that thing. Thus you'll need the dish upgrade anyhow, that you'll likely be paying for.

"He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else."

What sort of readings does the Phase III dish with the 101 110 119 LNB get on 101?

I've noticed that the readings from my SL3 LNB on the Phase III for 101 are lower than the readings on my slimline for 101. I'm wondering if this is due to the smaller size of the Phase III, or if maybe the SL3 LNB is at the wrong placement or focus for the Phase III - so it would be neat to know what readings a Phase III with the 101 110 119 LNB it was designed for gets on 101 for comparison with the 101 readings with an SL3..

What sort of readings does the Phase III dish with the 101 110 119 LNB get on 101?

I've noticed that the readings from my SL3 LNB on the Phase III for 101 are lower than the readings on my slimline for 101. I'm wondering if this is due to the smaller size of the Phase III, or if maybe the SL3 LNB is at the wrong placement or focus for the Phase III - so it would be neat to know what readings a Phase III with the 101 110 119 LNB it was designed for gets on 101 for comparison with the 101 readings with an SL3..

There is no correct answer for this.

Some people alter the focal point of the LNB and can get higher 101 readings than with the straight up phase III since the gain of the SL-3 LNB is better than the older phase III LNB.

The point is that everthing you do with an SL-3 LNB on a phase III dish is a compromise.

IF you can get 99c,103c, & 101 somewhere 80 to 85 plus you are a super tweaker! It doesn't get much better than that!

The real problem here (with this as a permanent setup) is going to be if you ever modify your IDU setup. If you ever have to swap a receiver, or activate a new one, you'll never pass Installation Verification with that thing. Thus you'll need the dish upgrade anyhow, that you'll likely be paying for.

Really? I had an 18" round dish installed on my H23 at home and I installed one of these dishes and ran the satellite setup for an SL3 dish and it finished the process just fine.